Vehicle buffer



W3; 2% 197240 m s aa a I G. A: LYON VEHICLE BUFFER Filed Jan. 19. 192133 4 1tow% I Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES GEORGE ALBERT LYON, OF PHILADELPHIA,- PENNSYLVANIA.

VEHICLE BUFFER.

Application filed January 19, 1921. Serial Not 438,295.

To all whom it may concem Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT LYON. acitizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county ofPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have made acertain new and usefulInvention Relating to Vehicle Buffers, of which the following is aspecification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, whichforms part of the same.

This invention relates especially'to resilient strip automobile buffersor bumpers which may comprise end loops and connected attaching membersto be clamped or secured to the vehicle, while the impact receiving orbulfer front members which may be arranged in overlapping reenforcingposition'may advantageously be bent upward and downward beyond the endloops, so as to form upwardly and downwardly extending contact portionswithin or adjacent the double strength bufi'er' front. By bending eachof the bufl'er front members alternately upward and downward beyond theeneral level of the impact receiving mem er a series of such projectingcontact portions may be provided and by more or less intertwining thesetwo bent buffer front portions, still further strength and rigidity maybe secured. For-many purposes it is sufiicient to give each of the overlapping ends of the buffer front members a single downward and upwardarched bend, so that whenoverlapped by the other cooperating frontmember the buffer front presents a generally intertwined appearancewhich is more or less preserved when the front members are laterallyadjusted to suit different width vehicles. In some cases the ends ofthese buffer front members may be bent into line with the cooperatingconnector portions of the other front mem-. her which facilitatesclamping them together by the use of the usual encircling clampingmembers.

In the accompanying drawing showing in a somewhat diagrammatic wayvarious illustrative embodiments of this invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of a buffer; and A I Fig. 2 is acorresponding view when the buffer has been adjusted to lit a narrowervehicle. 1 1

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views .of'other illustrative buffers.

The bulfermay advantageously be formed of tempered springsteelstrip'which may be one quarter to three eights of an inch thick andoneand three quarters'totwo and one half inches wide more or less and formany purposes two generallysimilar strips may be formed, each comprisingan attaching member, end loop and overlapping impact receiving frontmember. 'In the buffer shown in Fig. 1 for example, the front member Q,may be integral with'the'end loop 3 and the attachingmeinber at whilethe other front member 1 may be integral with the end loop 5 andattaching memberfi. As illustrated the front member 2 may be formed withthe alternately arranged downwardly and upwardly extending arches 7, 8which are. alternately bent below and above the level of the end'lo'opand connector portion 9 of this buffer element. The other bufi'erelement may have a correspondingly arranged downwardly bend 9, 10 andupwardly extending arch or contact portion 11 adjacent the endconnectorpo-rti'on .12,

which may extend substantially in line with the end loop and cooperatingconnector portion 2 of the other bufier strip; Any de-. 7

sired form of clamping or connecting de vices may be used to securelyconnect these buffer elements at the desired points and it is usuallyadvantageous to adjustably connect these parts so as to provide asufiicient width adjustment of the attaching members to accommodatedifferent width automobile frames. j For this purpose the enclosingclamping members 13, 14 may be secured around the relatively straight oraligned connector portions of the strip, so that they are firmly securedin overlapping reenforcing cooperation so that the upwardlv'anddownwardly projecting contact portions are strongly supported to resistcollision im-' pact. At the" same time these parts may be adjustedthroughout a range of several inches or more and Fig; 2 shows suchan'adjustment for a narrower automobile frame where the parts still havea generally intertwined or-in'terlooped appearance from the front, themeeting point 24 of the upper edges of thestrip in" thecenter beingsomewhat lower than in the symmetrical midposition shown in'Fig. 1.' r

-Fig. 3 shows another illustrative buffer in which the front'membereorstrip 15 has generally similar downward and upward arched portions 17',18, the connector-end 19 being however-deft in oblique position so as toextend diagonally acrossthe cooperating connector portion of the otherfront member 16. This other front strip 16 may have the bent orsinuously curved contact portions 21, 22, while its end connectorportion 23 may also be angularly arranged as indicated. U-boltconnectoror clamping de vices such as 20 are desirable forthis type ofconstruction especially when the reenforcing front portions aresufiiciently bent aroundeach other orintertwined vso that both theinclined connection portions are arranged back of the other relativelystraight strips 15, 16. These Ubolt clamping devices which may extendthrough holes in these connector ends 19, 23 may have the tighteners 25to securely clamp the parts in adjusted position, the point ofintersection 24 varying somewhat with the lateral adjustment of theparts as in .theprevious case.

Fig. 4 shows stillanother arrangement in which the sinuously bentoverlapping portions of the front members are formed sepa rately andbolted or clamped to the other parts which somewhat facilitatesmanufacture and shipping. In this case the front connector portion 26terminates in the end 27, while the other endloop 5 has a similarstraight connector portion 27, 28. The double reenforcingfront elementsmay comprise substantially straight connector portions 29, 39, while thestrip element may have the bent contact portionsBO, 31 extending belowand above the level of its connector portions and also the end loops ofthe elements to which it may be connected.

\ The other sinuous element to which these parts may be connected maycomprise the connectorportions 32, .35 and the bent contact portions 33,3 these parts being preferably intertwined or twisted around each otheras indicated which promotes the close engagement adjacent the point 88.Any suitable clamping or connecting devices such as 36, 37 or even widerenclosing clamps if desired may be used to securely connect all of thesecooperating connector portions in desired adjusted position and withthis an rangem'ent, width adjustment m'ay be secured without in anywayaltering the contour of the intertwined front portions of the buffer.

This invention has been described in connection with a number ofembodiments, forms, proportions, parts, arrangements, materials, methodsof connection and use, to the details of which disclosure the inventionis not of course tobe limited, since what is claimed as new and what is'desired to be secured by Letters Patent is set forth in the appendedclaims:

1. The automobile buffer consisting of two integral spring steel stripshaving greater vertical width than thickness and each comprising anattaching member, an

intermediate end loop and an impact receiving buffer front memberarranged in overlapping reenforcing cooperation With the other frontmember of the buffer, each of said'bu'lfer front members being sinuouslybent adjacent its ends to form two contactportions extendingrespectively upward and downward beyondlthe level of its end loop andhaving its end connector portion bent substantially into line withthecooperating connectorportion of the other bulferfront member, one ofsaid end portions being twisted around the other buffer front memher;and encirclingclamping members rigmeans rigidly connecting saidcooperating I connector portions in I a 3. The automobile bufferconsisting of twointegralresilient fiat steel strips having greatervertical width than thickness and each comprising an attaching member,an

end loop and an impact receiving buffer front member arranged inoverlapping reenforcingcooperation with the other member of the butter,each of said buifer' front members being formed adjacent its end withbent contact portions extending upward and downward beyond the level ofits end loop and clamping members detachably and rigidly connecting saidcooperating connector portions in laterally adjusted position.

a. The automobile buffer consistin of two integral resilient fl'at steelstrips Traving greater vertical Widththan thickness and each com-prisingan attaching member, and an impact receiving buffer front memberarranged in overlapping reenforcing cooperation with the otherfrontmember of the butter, each of said buffer front members beingformed with bent contact portions extending upward and downward beyondthe level ofits end and clamping members detachab ly and rigidlyconnecting said :00: operating connector portions. i

5. The automobile Ibuifer formed of resilient steel strip having greatervertical width 5 portion of the other bufier front member and clampingmembers rigidly connecting said cooperating connector portions andprovide for lateral adjustment.

6. The automobile buffer formed of resilient steel strip having greatervertical width than thickness and comprising attaching members, endloops and impact receiving bufier front members arranged in overlappingreenforcing cooperation with each other. each of said buffer frontmembers being bent to form a plurality of contact portions extendingupward and downward beyond the level of its end loop and clampatingconnector portions. 7

7. The automobile bufier formed of resilient steel strip having greatervertical width than thickness and comprising end loops and integralimpact receiving buffer front members arranged in overlappingreenfor'cing' cooperation with each other, each of said loufi'er frontmembers being formed with bent contact portions extending-"alternatelyupward and. downward beyond the level of its end loop portion and havingan end portion bent substantially into line with the cooperatingconnector portion of the other bufi'er front member and connectingmembers rigidly connecting said cooperating connector portions.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

